Conclave ending explained: Who is chosen as the new Pope?

Conclave remains one of the most well-received films of 2024. The political thriller is an Edward Berger-directed film and it is written by Peter Straughan. Based on Robert Harris' 2016 namesake novel, the film had its world premiere at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival.

It revolves around a cardinal who is looking for the next pope after their pope passes away. But slowly, he realizes that the candidates for the position might have their secrets.

The heavy subject matter does not overpower the tone of the film and it remains consistently watchable and engaging with strong performances from Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci among others.

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What is the plot of Conclave?

Conclave begins with the death of the pope and it leads all the College of Cardinals to look for his worthy successor. The College is headed by Thomas Lawrence (played by Ralph Fiennes) and he eventually discovers more about all four candidates.

The official synopsis of Conclave, as per IMDb, is:

When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world's most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, he finds himself at the center of a web of conspiracies and intrigue that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church.

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How does Conclave end?

Toward the end of Conclave, we see that Cardinal Benitez is elected as the new pope. He then tells Lawrence about his plans to get a hysterectomy but does not go ahead. A white smoke is thrown in the air to let the public know about the election of a new pope.

The twist at the end reveals that Benitez was born with both male and female biological traits and has a uterus. He continued to live a life without thinking about his gender until he had to visit a doctor because of a bomb injury. This fact makes him the first pope who is not male.

He wanted to resign but was given a chance of hysterectomy. He opts out of this act as he wanted to remain the way god created him. His file, which mentioned his uterus, was classified by the earlier pope and he was also made a cardinal.

After becoming the pope, Benitez might choose to reveal his truth to everyone. Once he gets elected, Benitez takes on the name of 'Innocent' amid the buzz of corruption in the corridors.

In an interview, the film's director Edward Berger revealed the reason behind choosing that particular name. He stated that we as children are innocent and are conditioned by our societies in a certain way when we grow up. He said,

"It’s a name of purity without any preconceptions. You see it in children—they have no bad experience, they’re theoretically only positive, only open towards others. They have no prejudices. They’re innocent. Then society conditions them to be a certain way, their parents, school, friends, and bad experiences leave trauma. So Benitez comes to us with absolute openness, and I think that’s what it means."

Conclave is written by Peter Straughan and directed by Edward Berger. It was released on October 25, 2024, and became a major critical and commercial success globally.

At the 2025 Academy Awards, the film received eight nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Production Design among others. It has also won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay.